Since problems in recruiting deputies and correctional officers were supposed to be the primary reasons for the quarter-cent sales tax increase, CANT has researched this issue, and we have come up with a number of recruiting recommendations.

CANT recommends that JPSO evaluate the recommendations contained in the document Strategies for Improving Officer Recruitment in the San Diego Police Department, prepared by the Rand Center on Quality Policing. Many of the recommendations contained in this document are applicable to our area, since the reasons for San Diego’s police recruiting problems are similar to those in Jefferson Parish. We also make the following recommendations, some of which are similar to those included in the Rand Center document.

1. Prepare recruitment materials that emphasize the benefits of law-enforcement careers

Recruitment materials should appeal to the desire of the recruits to serve our community, the pride they will experience from being a deputy or correctional officer, and their interest in obtaining stable employment, particularly in bad economic times. These recruitment materials could also detail the attractive pay for police recruits relative to other local jobs for which applicants are only required to have a high school diploma or GED.

They should emphasize the benefits offered Jefferson deputies which are not offered by some of the other law enforcement agencies. For example, the JPSO has the most liberal policy with respect to take-home vehicles in the area. All JPSO deputies, including those who do not live in Jefferson Parish, are entitled to unlimited use of their take-home vehicles within New Orleans and Jefferson. And JPSO pays for gasoline, insurance and maintenance for these vehicles.  Even after taking into account the $75 monthly fee that deputies are generally required to pay to help defray some of the costs of their take-home vehicle, the value of this benefit is estimated to be in excess of $6,000 per year.

Recruitment materials should also emphasize other significant benefits, such as the fact that health insurance for the employee is paid for by JPSO (this costs JPSO $375/month) and that they are entitled to State Supplemental Pay of $425/month ($5,100/year) after one year. And pension benefits are significantly better than in the private sector, since JPSO deputies can retire with 100% of their salary after only 30 years on the job.  JPSO also offers reduced tuition and a subsidized college degree program in conjunction with Loyola.

2. Develop a Modern JPSO Recruiting WebSite.

This modern recruiting web site should be separate from the JPSO.com web site and from the Gulf Coast HIDTA Training Website, since the recruitment and training information on these sites is inadequate, uninspiring and difficult to find. The information on this new recruiting website should emphasize the advantages of working for the JPSO and the other things specified in Recommendation 1 above.

3. Strengthen the recruiting workforce and employ recruiting practices with a higher probability of success.

Recruiting efforts should focus on Jefferson Parish and the nearby parishes, since these are the prime recruiting areas for the JPSO.  A significant effort could be exerted to recruit JPSO correctional officer trainees from Jefferson Parish high schools, since the only education required for a correctional officer is a high school Diploma (or GED), and the age requirement for correctional officers is 18.  It would also be desirable to use public service announcements on TV and on the radio to recruit trainees for the positions of deputy and correctional officer. Offering cash incentives to JPSO employees who bring in new deputies, correctional officers or successful trainees has also been found to be effective. And it would also be desirable to enlist the help of the business community to offer bonuses to newly recruited deputies or correctional officers.

4. Find other sources of funding pay increases as suggested by Jefferson Parish Council Chairman John Young.

It would be desirable to follow Chairman John Young’s recommendation to explore other funding sources before putting the burden of the quarter-cent sales tax on consumers. He suggested that a rededication of money in the parish’s budget might provide the Sheriff’s Office with the money needed to raise salaries.